Interpretation ID: nht73-2.36

DATE: 08/31/73

FROM: R. B. DYSON -- ACTING CHIEF COUNSEL, NHTSA; SIGNATURE BY DAVID SCHMELTZER

TO: New York State Police

TITLE: FMVSS INTERPRETATION

TEXT: This is in reply to your letter on August 20, 1973, asking that law enforcement vehicles be excluded from a Federal prohibition against headlight flashers.

There is no such prohibition. While paragraph S4.6(b) of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 requires headlamps to be steady-burning in use, it also specifically states that "means may be provided to flash [automatically] headlamps . . . for signalling purposes." Therefore, manufacturers are not prohibited from equipping vehicles with headlamp flasher units upon customer request.